Founding Principles of the Welfare State

1
Founding Principles of the Welfare State

• To what extent have they been met?

2
Founding Principles of Welfare State

• Want
• Disease
• Ignorance
• Squalor
• Idleness

• Income
• Health
• Education
• Housing
• Employment

3

• A welfare state is a concept of government where
  they play a key role in the protection and
  promotion of the economic and social well-being
  of its citizens.
• The Beveridge Report was really the trigger for
  the implementation of the Welfare State in
  Britain. It would provide security from the
  cradle to the grave. It was introduced in 1945
  in an attempt to address each of the 5 Giants.

4
How successful has the Welfare State been in
providing security from the cradle to the grave?
5
Want/Income

• How many people benefitted from the introduction
  of the NMW?
• Why was it introduced?
• Who was it targeted at?
• How would it help?

6
Want/Income

• What about the impact of Income Support and
  Jobseekers Allowance?
• What are they?
• How much can people get from each?
• How does this address one of the 5 Giants?

7
Disease/Health

• A National Health Service was set up free at the
  point of use and available to all.

8
Disease/Health

• Successive Governments have tried to address
  health concerns and targeted specific areas of
  health.
• Smoking Ban, Challenge 25 (alcohol), Health
  Promoting Schools, Well Man Clinics and 5 a Day
  are examples.

9
Disease/Health

• Public Private Partnerships
• Forth Valley Royal (Larbert) set up to provide
  better facilities and level of care.
• More Comprehensive care now offered.
• Types of treatment?

10
Disease/Health

• Postcode Lottery?
• What is it?
• Who does it affect?
• How does it conflict with a Founding Principle of
  the Welfare State?

11
Disease/Health

• Charges for specific services
• Eye care and Dentistry
• People having to resort to private health care

12
Ignorance/Education

• PPP
• Falkirk Schools and local authorities throughout
  Scotland have created new schools at a cost of
  hundreds of millions of pounds.
• Whilst this is through PPP, its still a
  significant commitment to education in this
  country, providing better facilities and
  opportunities for students.
• How does PPP work?

13
Ignorance/Education

• Student debt levels are projected to rise to
  25,000 for those starting university this year,
  research suggests.
• Who is most likely to be affected by this?
• Should education be dictated by your ability to
  pay?

http//www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-10952303
14
Ignorance/Education

• Changes to Tuition Fees
• Browne Report recommended lifting the cap on
  Tuition fees that exist in England. They are
  currently set at just over 3000 per year.
• Its likely that they will be capped at
  approximately 7000 per year. However, this is
  before student loans for living expenses are even
  taken into account.
• Again, should education be dictated by your
  ability to pay?
• Does this tie in with the founding principle?

15
Squalor/Housing

• Housing provided by local authorities made sure
  that anyone who could not afford to buy or wish
  to buy, could have a comfortable home.

16
Squalor/Housing

• The right to buy scheme introduced by the
  Conservatives (Margaret Thatcher) has resulted in
  a worrying lack of available council housing
  throughout the country.
• In Scotland alone, last year, 142,000 households
  were on waiting lists for social housing.

http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8142111.stm
17
Squalor/Housing

• What is housing benefit?
• The Government wants to cap the amount of Housing
  Benefit people can receive.
• There are concerns that this will force people to
  leave expensive areas like London. Boris Johnson
  (Mayor of London) likened it to social
  cleansing.

http//www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11660316

• http//www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11644859

18
Squalor/Housing

• However, David Cameron has accused opponents of
  scaremongering and that families could still
  qualify for up to 20,00 in Housing Benefit each
  year.
• Does this tie in with the Founding Principles?

19
Idleness/Employment

• The Government looked to provide full employment
  for all working age citizens.

20
Idleness/Employment

• New Deals
• Tax Credits
• Do they help address the above? How?
• Welfare-to-Work

21
Idleness/Employment